Depending on which poll you look at, the Florida State Seminoles are ranked 10th and 11th while the Canes of Miami are ranked 11th or 12th. Players, alumni and fans from both schools probably consider the rankings a bit low because nowhere in America are expectations higher than at Miami and Florida State. To these schools, no matter how you look at it, this is a big game. Not only do the teams need a win to jump back into the national BCS picture, the loser could drop out of contention early. And it will be played out in front of a national television audience in College Football’s version of Monday Night Football with an 8pm kick-off from Miami’s home field at the Orange Bowl Stadium in Coral Gables, Florida. Last years game in Tallahassee was the highest rated televised college football game of the season.
Florida State returns just 4 offensive starters and 4 defensive starters and the starting kicker from the 2005 team a 2005 team that finished 8-5 (5-3 ACC) and won the inaugural ACC Championship game and fell in 3 OT to Penn State in the Orange Bowl.
With last years 10-7 win in Tallahassee Florida State snapped Miami’s six game winning streak 2000-2004. FSU had a winning streak in the series of 5 games from 1995-1999.
UM has won the last three meetings played at the Orange Bowl and the last four meetings in Miami if you count the 2005 Orange Bowl played in Dolphins Stadium.
This is the 22nd meeting when both teams are ranked in the AP Top 25 and Miami holds a 15-6 advantage. Only two of those six wins for FSU were in Miami. The 2006 opener marks the eighth straight meeting when both teams are ranked in the AP top 15.
The Hurricanes average margin of victory in 17 wins over FSU in Miami (if you include the 2005 Orange Bowl) is 14.7 points per game. Fourteen of FSU’s 21 wins over Miami have occurred in Miami and the Seminoles have won those games by an average by 13.8 points per game.
The Labor Day meeting between Miami and Florida State will mark the seventh time in history the schools have opened up with each other. Five of the previous six meetings have been played in Miami. The record is split 3-3 in season openers between the schools.
Both Florida State and Miami were predicted to win their respective divisions in the Atlantic Coast Conference in July at the 2006 ACC Kickoff in Jacksonville, Florida.
Currently the betting line is favoring Miami –3 ½ and the total is holding at 40 ½ at most sportsbooks.
